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The Siege of AR-558 (episode)
During a supply run to the front lines, Sisko decides to remain with a Starfleet outpost under siege by the Jem'Hadar. Summary In Vic Fontaine's, Rom auditions for a "gig", singing The Lady is a Tramp -- and not very well. Vic tries to let him down easy, reminding Rom that he is not a hologram, as Dr. Bashir enters the lounge. The doctor retrieves a recording Vic has made for him. Meanwhile, Captain Sisko and Odo are in the wardroom, where Sisko laments the ever-growing list of casualties from the Dominion War. Kira interrupts them over the comm to inform Sisko that the Defiant is ready. Quark mopes aboard the Defiant, wondering why Grand Nagus Zek would want him to go on a "fact-finding mission" to the front lines of the war. Ezri tries to comfort him, believing the Nagus wants a Ferengi perspective of the war. Unfortunately, her efforts to cheer him up are in vain, and even more so as the ship shakes from Dominion fire. It seems the Dominion wants the Chin'toka system back badly as a valuable communication relay is on one of the planets that could be used to tap into Dominion communications. Quark nervously enters the bridge, embarrassing his nephew Nog in his nervousness. When the Defiant reaches AR-558, Sisko relenquishes command to Worf and he, Ezri, Bashir, Quark, and a few others beam to the surface. Once there, they come under immediate fire. A brief phaser fight ensues, but the fighting stops as Lieutenant Nadia Larkin orders the men to hold their fire. It seems Vargas, who believes they are all doomed, is a bit of a hothead. The troops have been stranded for five months, despite Starfleet Medical's limit of 90 days, and out of 150 soldiers, only 43 are left. When the Defiant is forced to leave due to Jem'Hadar fighters, Sisko's conscience kicks in and he informs Worf that they intend to stay. As the commanding officer on the ground, Sisko now has only one order: hold. Jem'Hadar soldiers later beam down and attack, but something is wrong; they do not fire and seem to walk into the line of enemy volleys. Sisko orders his men to hold as he realizes the Dominion trickery. The soldiers were holograms intended to assess the enemy strength without firing a shot. Between that and Houdinis -- mines that hide in subspace and appear at random -- things are looking very grim. Nog is ordered to accompany Larkin and Lieutenant Reese to attempt to find the Jem'Hadar encampment. Quark doesn't like Captain Sisko sending his nephew into danger, to which the captain reminds him that Nog is simply doing his duty. Quark argues that Sisko would never send Jake out there. The captain is getting sick of Quark and angrily responds that his son is not a Starfleet Officer, but Quark is not convinced by his argument. Using his lobes, Nog succeeds but as the three retreat they come under enemy fire. Larkin is killed, and Nog is shot directly in the leg. Back at camp, Reese helps Nog back to camp, where he is examined by Doctor Bashir. Sisko waits anxiously for news, when Quark comes out furious with Sisko as his nephew is going to lose his leg. Later, Doctor Bashir has been able to successfully remove Nog's leg to prevent further injury, but it is unclear as to if it can be regenerated, as he needs to visit a Starfleet Medical facility. The captain goes to visit Nog in his hospital bed, and congratulates him on a job well done. Nog asks if the relay is worth it. Sisko replies that he hopes it is. There is some good news for the officers as Ezri and Kellin find a way to reveal the Houdinis' locations. As Sisko prepares to use them against the Jem'Hadar, the irony of the situation is not lost on Ezri. Previously, the Starfleet officers had considered the Houdinis the type of weapon only the Dominion would use, but now they seem a lot friendlier. When the Jem'Hadar finally come, the Houdinis perform their function, and when the remaining Jem'Hadar come charging toward the encampment, everyone is affected as the battle dissolves into melee combat. Even Quark is forced to kill a Jem'Hadar in defense of Nog. Sisko is knocked out and the last thing he sees is a Jem'Hadar standing over him with a disruptor. When he awakens, many of the officers he knew are now dead, but as he puts it, "We held." The Defiant returns to AR-558 along with the USS Veracruz, which will pick up the survivors and transport the injured officers as well as Nog and Bashir to Starbase 371. Also, a fresh batch of officers are being brought in. Reese notes that the newcomers are young, to which Sisko responds that they'll grow up. Back aboard DS9, the next casualty list comes in. Feeling the weight of his recent experiences, Sisko makes sure to remember that the names on the list are more than names, telling Kira they must not forget it. Memorable Quotes "We held." "Those were our orders, sir." : - Benjamin Sisko and Reese "I'm sorry captain, but I'm an engineer, not a magician" : - Kellin (See also: I'm a doctor, not a...) "The communications relay, it was worth it, right?" "I hope to God it was." : - Nog and Benjamin Sisko "They're not just names, we have to remember that. We '''have' to remember that..." : - Benjamin Sisko "Let me tell you something about Hew-mons, Nog. They're a wonderful, friendly people — as long as their bellies are full and their holosuites are working. But take away their creature comforts ... deprive them of food, sleep, sonic showers ... put their lives in jeopardy over an extended period of time ... and those same friendly, intelligent, wonderful people will become as nasty and violent as the most bloodthirsty Klingon. You don't believe me? Look at those faces, look at their eyes..." : - Quark Background Information * This episode is an attempt to show that the future seen in Star Trek is not all different from our own world at the moment. Focusing on how the scars of war are both physical and mental on combat troops creates an ideological reference to Vietnam veterans. * Quark's scene where he describes (to Nog) what happens when humans' creature comforts are taken away, is one of Armin Shimerman's favorite scenes he has ever performed on the show. * In keeping with this theme, many of the soldiers' names are borrowed from the movie Hell Is for Heroes. * Aron Eisenberg's character Nog loses his leg in this episode, giving this episode a dramatic aftermath. Nog's recovery is depicted in "It's Only a Paper Moon." * The namesake of the episode (AR-558) takes its name from the production number. *Bill Mumy, who plays Kellin here, is another Babylon 5 regular to star in Deep Space Nine. Mumy had always wanted to appear on DS9, but held out until he was allowed to play a human (he had been repeatedly asked to appear as an alien). *Cirroc Lofton (Jake Sisko) does not appear in this episode. Rene Auberjonois (Odo) appears only in the first scene, while Nana Visitor (Kira) appears only in the final scene. Links and References Guest Stars *Raymond Cruz as Vargas *Patrick Kilpatrick as Reese *Aron Eisenberg as Nog *Annette Helde as Nadia Larkin *Max Grodénchik as Rom Special Guest Stars *Bill Mumy as Kellin *James Darren as Vic Fontaine References Anti-personnel mine; AR-558; asometric photon; Bashir 62; biosynthetic limb; Chin'toka system; coil spanner; column; comedian; communication array; ''Defiant'', USS; Dominion; Dominion War; duonetic coupler; evasive maneuvers; Ferengi Alliance; frequency discriminator; God; hologram; hospital; "Houdinis"; "I'll Be Seeing You"; isodyne relay; isolinear rod; Jem'Hadar; Jem'Hadar fighter; Ketracel White; "Lady is a Tramp, The"; Loomis; McGreevey; microdyne coupler; music; optronic relay; Parker; phase amplifier; phaser rifle; raktajino; replicator; Rules of Acquisition; sonic shower; Starbase 371; Starfleet Regulations; subspace; subspace mine; tricorder; USO; ''Veracruz'', USS; vole; Zek. Siege of AR-558, The de:Die Belagerung von AR-558 es:The Siege of AR-558 nl:The Siege of AR-558